CN116364581A - Fluid jet nozzle cleaning device and fluid jet nozzle cleaning method - Google Patents

Fluid jet nozzle cleaning device and fluid jet nozzle cleaning method Download PDF

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Publication number
CN116364581A
CN116364581A CN202211655588.5A CN202211655588A CN116364581A CN 116364581 A CN116364581 A CN 116364581A CN 202211655588 A CN202211655588 A CN 202211655588A CN 116364581 A CN116364581 A CN 116364581A
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
cleaning liquid
cup
fluid
fluid ejection
nozzle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
CN202211655588.5A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
白承大
金康元
金建亨
千宰昊
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Zeus Co Ltd
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Zeus Co Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of CN116364581A publication Critical patent/CN116364581A/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67063—Apparatus for fluid treatment for etching
    • H01L21/67075—Apparatus for fluid treatment for etching for wet etching
    • H01L21/6708—Apparatus for fluid treatment for etching for wet etching using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
    • H01L21/6704—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing
    • H01L21/67051—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for wet cleaning or washing using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
    • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
    • B05B15/00—Details of spraying plant or spraying apparatus not otherwise provided for; Accessories
    • B05B15/50—Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter
    • B05B15/55—Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter using cleaning fluids
    • B05B15/555—Arrangements for cleaning; Arrangements for preventing deposits, drying-out or blockage; Arrangements for detecting improper discharge caused by the presence of foreign matter using cleaning fluids discharged by cleaning nozzles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
    • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
    • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
    • B08B3/024—Cleaning by means of spray elements moving over the surface to be cleaned
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
    • B08B3/04—Cleaning involving contact with liquid
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B9/00—Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto 
    • B08B9/02—Cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes
    • B08B9/027—Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages
    • B08B9/032—Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages by the mechanical action of a moving fluid, e.g. by flushing
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B21/00—Arrangements or duct systems, e.g. in combination with pallet boxes, for supplying and controlling air or gases for drying solid materials or objects
    • F26B21/004—Nozzle assemblies; Air knives; Air distributors; Blow boxes
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B21/00—Arrangements or duct systems, e.g. in combination with pallet boxes, for supplying and controlling air or gases for drying solid materials or objects
    • F26B21/006—Arrangements or duct systems, e.g. in combination with pallet boxes, for supplying and controlling air or gases for drying solid materials or objects the gas supply or exhaust being effected through hollow spaces or cores in the materials or objects, e.g. tubes, pipes, bottles
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B21/00—Arrangements or duct systems, e.g. in combination with pallet boxes, for supplying and controlling air or gases for drying solid materials or objects
    • F26B21/14—Arrangements or duct systems, e.g. in combination with pallet boxes, for supplying and controlling air or gases for drying solid materials or objects using gases or vapours other than air or steam, e.g. inert gases
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67011—Apparatus for manufacture or treatment
    • H01L21/67017—Apparatus for fluid treatment
    • H01L21/67028—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like
    • H01L21/67034—Apparatus for fluid treatment for cleaning followed by drying, rinsing, stripping, blasting or the like for drying

Abstract

The invention provides a fluid jet nozzle cleaning device and a fluid jet nozzle cleaning method. The fluid jet nozzle cleaning device is provided with: a cup having an inner space, an upper opening opened to allow the fluid ejection nozzle to enter the inner space, and a lower opening for discharging the cleaning liquid from the inner space to the outside; a cleaning liquid jetting section for jetting the cleaning liquid to the fluid jetting nozzle when the fluid jetting nozzle is located in the inner space of the cup; and a drying gas injection unit for injecting the drying gas for the drying fluid injection nozzle after the injection of the cleaning liquid is completed.

Description

Fluid jet nozzle cleaning device and fluid jet nozzle cleaning method
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning a fluid ejection nozzle of a fluid ejection apparatus that ejects a fluid for substrate surface treatment, and a method of cleaning a fluid ejection nozzle.
Background
The semiconductor process typically includes: an etching step of etching a wafer (wafer) which is a substrate; a dicing step of dicing the wafer into a plurality of dies; and a cleaning step of cleaning the wafer. A substrate processing apparatus used in a wafer etching process or a cleaning process includes a spin chuck (chuck) rotatably supporting a wafer and a fluid ejection device ejecting a processing fluid toward the wafer.
The fluid ejecting apparatus includes a fluid ejecting nozzle (nozzle) for ejecting the processing fluid at a distal end portion. However, during the process of jetting the process fluid or during the period when the jetting of the process fluid is stopped, fumes (fume) contaminating the process chamber (chamber) or the wafer may be released from the fluid jetting nozzle.
In addition, on the fluid ejection nozzle, there is a problem that the processing fluid which has failed to fall onto the wafer is accumulated thereon like water droplets, or there is a problem that a contaminant sputtered from the wafer adheres thereto. The processing fluid or the contaminant thus remained or adhered to the fluid ejection nozzle is coagulated and dried and solidified, thereby falling onto the wafer to cause poor quality of the wafer, or the opening of the fluid ejection nozzle may be blocked to prevent ejection of the processing fluid.
The background of the present invention is disclosed in Korean laid-open patent publication No. 10-2005-0097380 (2005.10.07. Publication, title of the invention: nozzle cleaning apparatus).
Disclosure of Invention
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for cleaning and drying a fluid ejection nozzle and a method thereof, which remove contaminants from the fluid ejection nozzle of a fluid ejection apparatus for ejecting a process fluid onto a substrate.
The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of the present invention includes: a cup having an upper opening opened to allow the fluid ejection nozzle to enter an inner space and a lower opening for discharging the cleaning liquid from the inner space to the outside; a cleaning liquid ejecting section that ejects a cleaning liquid to the fluid ejecting nozzle when the fluid ejecting nozzle is located in the internal space of the cup; and a drying gas injection unit that injects a drying gas for drying the fluid injection nozzle after the injection of the cleaning liquid is completed.
In the present invention, the cleaning liquid ejecting section may eject the cleaning liquid from a side wall between the upper opening and the lower opening of the cup to the inside, and the drying gas ejecting section may eject the drying gas from a point higher than a point at which the cleaning liquid is ejected to the inside at the side wall of the cup.
In the present invention, the cleaning liquid ejecting section may include: an annular flow path portion that is coupled to the cup so as to surround the cup; a connection flow path portion protruding radially from the annular flow path portion and connected to the annular flow path portion so that a fluid can flow; a cleaning liquid supply pipe having one side fluidly connected to the cleaning liquid tank and the other side fluidly connected to the connection flow path portion; and a cleaning liquid supply pump that pressurizes the cleaning liquid to spray the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank to the inside of the cup.
In the present invention, a plurality of the drying gas injection parts may be provided, and the height of the spot to which the drying gas injected by the drying gas injection part located at a relatively high spot is directed may be higher than the height of the spot to which the drying gas injected by the drying gas injection part located at a relatively low spot is directed.
In the present invention, the dry gas injection part may include: an annular flow path portion that is coupled to the cup so as to surround the cup, and that has an annular flow path in which the drying gas can flow; a connection flow path portion protruding radially from the annular flow path portion and connected to the annular flow path so that a fluid can flow; a dry gas supply pipe having one side connected to the dry gas tank so as to be capable of flowing, and the other side connected to the connection flow path portion so as to be capable of flowing; and a dry gas supply pump that pressurizes the dry gas to spray the dry gas from the dry gas tank to the inside of the cup.
In the present invention, a plurality of the fluid ejection nozzles may be provided, the plurality of fluid ejection nozzles may be disposed adjacent to each other and move together in the horizontal and vertical directions, the cleaning liquid ejection portion may simultaneously eject the cleaning liquid to the plurality of fluid ejection nozzles located in the inner space of the cup, and the drying gas ejection portion may simultaneously eject the drying gas to the plurality of fluid ejection nozzles after the cleaning liquid ejection is completed.
In the present invention, the cleaning liquid spraying section may spray the cleaning liquid to the inner space of the cup at a flow rate of 0.3 to 3.0 liters/minute (liter/minute), and the spraying time of the cleaning liquid may be 10 seconds to 2 minutes.
In the present invention, the drying gas spraying part may spray the drying gas to the inner space of the cup at a flow rate of 30 to 100 liters/minute (liter/minute), and the spraying time of the drying gas may be 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
In the present invention, the cleaning liquid may be deionized water (deionized water), and the drying gas may be nitrogen (N) 2 )。
The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of the present invention may further include: and an exhaust part sucking gas from the inner space of the cup and exhausting to the outside of the cup so that the gas is not exhausted through the upper side opening, the gas being accumulated in the inner space of the cup during operation of the cleaning liquid injection part and the drying gas injection part.
In the present invention, the exhaust part may include: an annular flow path portion that is coupled to the cup so as to surround the cup; a connection flow path portion protruding radially from the annular flow path portion and connected to the annular flow path portion so that a fluid can flow; and an exhaust pipe, one side of which is fluidly connected to the exhaust pump, and the other side of which is fluidly connected to the connection flow path portion.
The fluid jet nozzle cleaning method of the present invention includes: a nozzle positioning step of allowing the fluid ejection nozzle to enter the inner space of the cup through an upper side opening of the cup so that the fluid ejection nozzle is located in the inner space of the cup; a cleaning liquid jetting step of jetting a cleaning liquid to clean the fluid jetting nozzle; and a drying step of spraying a drying gas to dry the surface of the fluid spraying nozzle after the cleaning liquid spraying step is completed.
In the present invention, the cup may be located at a position where the fluid ejection nozzle ejects the fluid toward the substrate to process the substrate returns after the completion of the operation of processing the substrate, and the substrate to be processed by ejecting the fluid may be replaced with a substrate to which the fluid is not ejected between a start time point of the nozzle positioning step and an end time point of the drying step.
The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning method of the present invention may further include, prior to the nozzle positioning step: and a process fluid ejection step of ejecting a process fluid toward the substrate through the fluid ejection nozzle to process the substrate.
The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning method of the present invention may further include: and a discharging step of sucking gas from the inner space of the cup and discharging the gas to the outside of the cup so that the gas is not discharged to the outside of the cup through the upper side opening, the gas being gas accumulated in the inner space of the cup during the cleaning liquid ejecting step and the drying step.
According to the present invention, after the process fluid is sprayed, the fluid spray nozzle is cleaned, so that the tip of the fluid spray nozzle does not release fumes (fume), preventing the process chamber or the substrate from being contaminated due to the process fluid or the contaminant remaining in the fluid spray nozzle.
According to the present invention, it is possible to design to simultaneously spray the cleaning liquid to the fluid ejection nozzles at a plurality of points around the fluid ejection nozzles to clean the contaminant, so that it is possible to prevent the fluid ejection nozzles from being partially cleaned out, and clean the portions left to be cleaned out even in the case where a plurality of fluid ejection nozzles are provided.
According to the present invention, the cleaning liquid is injected toward the tip end of the nozzle pipe, and the drying gas is injected obliquely downward at the periphery of the fluid injection nozzle while being injected toward a place higher than the cleaning liquid injection target place. Therefore, the flow rate and the spraying time of the drying gas required for thoroughly drying and removing the cleaning liquid on the surface of the fluid spraying nozzle are reduced, and the time and the cost of the cleaning operation of the fluid spraying nozzle are saved.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus including a fluid ejection nozzle cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of fig. 1, and is a diagram showing a state in which the fluid ejection nozzle is inserted into a cup (cup).
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through fig. 2 according to section III-III.
Fig. 4 is a top view of a cup of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 6 is a photograph of the fluid ejection nozzle before cleaning in a comparative photograph for verifying the effect of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a photograph of the fluid ejection nozzle after cleaning in a comparative photograph for verifying the effect of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of the present invention.
Description of the reference numerals
1: substrate 10: substrate processing apparatus
20: fluid ejection device 30: fluid jet nozzle
40: fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device 41: cup with cup body
45: upper opening 50: cleaning liquid spraying part
70: dry gas injection unit 85: and an exhaust unit.
Detailed Description
A fluid jet nozzle cleaning apparatus and a fluid jet nozzle cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The term (terminology) used in the present specification is a term used in order to properly represent the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention of a user or an operator or a convention in the art to which the present invention pertains, etc. Accordingly, the definition of the term should be made based on the content throughout the specification.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus including a fluid jet nozzle cleaning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fluid jet nozzle cleaning apparatus of fig. 1, a state in which a fluid jet nozzle is inserted into a cup (cup), fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of fig. 2 cut according to III-III, and fig. 4 is a plan view of the cup of the fluid jet nozzle cleaning apparatus of fig. 2.
Referring to fig. 1 to 4, a fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device 40 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is provided in a substrate processing device 10, and the substrate processing device 10 ejects a processing fluid to an upper side surface of a substrate 1 to process the substrate 1.
The substrate 1 shown in fig. 1 is a wafer (wafer) used for manufacturing a semiconductor chip, but the substrate to be the object of the present invention is not limited to a wafer, and may be a substrate for a flat panel display device, a substrate for a solar cell panel, or the like, for example.
The substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a table 11, a splash guard 15, a fluid ejection device 20, and a fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device 40.
The stage 11 fixedly supports the substrate 1 and rotates, for example, in a process of jetting a processing fluid to process the substrate 1, such as an etching process of the substrate 1. The stage 11 may be a chuck stage having a chuck (chuck) for fixing the substrate 1 to fix and rotate the substrate 1.
The splash guard 15 surrounds the platen 11 and intercepts the process fluid and contaminants that splash from the substrate 1 from sputtering away.
The fluid ejection device 20 may include a swing arm (swing arm) 23, a swing arm support column 21, a pair of connection tubes (tubes) 25, and a pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30.
The swing arm support column 21 extends upward at a location spaced apart from the table 11.
One end of the swing arm 23 is rotatably coupled to the swing arm support column 21, and the other end of the swing arm 23 fixedly supports a pair of connection pipes 25. The swing arm 23 pivots clockwise and counterclockwise about an arm axis AS extending along the longitudinal direction of the swing arm support column 21 (pivot). In fig. 1, a swing arm rotation driving unit that rotationally drives the swing arm 23 about the arm axis AS is omitted.
One end portion of the pair of connection pipes 25 is fixedly supported to the other end portion of the swing arm 23, and the other end portion of the pair of connection pipes 25 is fixedly supported to the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30.
When the swing arm 23 is pivoted about the arm axis AS and the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 are positioned on the substrate 1, the processing fluid transferred through the internal flow paths extending inside the swing arm support column 21 and the swing arm 23 passes through the pair of connection pipes 25 and is ejected and dropped toward the substrate 1 through the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30.
The pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 may be connected to the pair of connection pipes 25 in a one-to-one manner, and may be adjacently disposed at the same height. If the swing arm 23 rotates about the arm axis AS, the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 move in the horizontal direction along the circular orbit. In addition, if the swing arm support column 21 is lifted and lowered along the arm axis AS, the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 are moved together in the vertical direction.
Each fluid ejection nozzle 30 includes: a nozzle cover (cap) 35 fastened and fixed to the other end of the connection pipe 25; a nozzle pipe 31 having a lower end penetrating the nozzle cover 35 and protruding downward; and a seal 33 provided between the inner surface of the nozzle cover 35 and the outer surface of the nozzle pipe 31.
The nozzle tube 31 has an inner diameter (inner diameter) smaller than the inner diameter of the connection tube 25 and is disposed at the other end of the connection tube 25. The seal 33 seals the inside of the nozzle cover 35 so that the process fluid does not leak through the lower end opening formed so as to pass through the nozzle pipe 31.
In fig. 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 10 including the pair of connection pipes 25 and the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 is disclosed, but the connection pipes 25 and the fluid ejection nozzles 30 may be provided singly or in a number greater than one pair.
The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device 40 is a device for cleaning the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 of the fluid ejection device 20, and may include a cup 41, a cleaning liquid ejection portion 50, a dry gas ejection portion 70, and an exhaust portion 85.
The cup 41 is a funnel-shaped member in which an inner space 44 is formed. The cup 41 is located at a home position where the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 ejects the processing fluid toward the substrate 1 to return the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 after the completion of the operation of processing the substrate 1.
An upper opening 45 is formed in an upper side of the cup 41, the upper opening 45 being opened to allow the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 to enter the internal space 44, and a lower opening 48 is formed in a lower side of the cup 41 to allow the cleaning liquid to be discharged from the internal space 44 to the outside. The cleaning liquid and the contaminants discharged through the lower opening 48 may be discharged after the cleaning process.
The cleaning liquid ejecting section 50 ejects the cleaning liquid to the pair of fluid ejecting nozzles 30 when the pair of fluid ejecting nozzles 30 are located in the inner space 44 of the cup 41. The cleaning liquid may be, for example, deionized water (deionized water).
The cleaning liquid ejecting section 50 may include an annular flow path section 51, a connection flow path section 55, a connection member 57, a cleaning liquid supply pipe 60, a cleaning liquid tank 63, a cleaning liquid supply pump 61, and a valve 62.
The annular flow path portion 51 is joined to the side wall 42 so as to surround the side wall 42 of the cup 41. Inside the annular flow path portion 51, an annular flow path 52 through which the cleaning liquid flows is formed. A plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 are arranged on the side wall 42, and the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 spray the cleaning liquid flowing into the annular flow path 52 toward the pair of fluid spray nozzles 30 located in the inner space 44.
Each cleaning liquid nozzle portion 54 may be configured to include a spray through hole penetrating through the side wall 42, or may be configured to include a nozzle provided in the side wall 42 so that the cleaning liquid is sprayed through the side wall 42. In the cleaning liquid nozzle portion 54, the inner diameter (inner diameter) of the end to which the cleaning liquid is sprayed may be 1mm, for example.
The connection flow path portion 55 protrudes radially from one side of the annular flow path portion 51, and a connection flow path 56 is formed inside the connection flow path portion 55, and the connection flow path 56 is connected to the annular flow path 52 so as to be capable of flowing a fluid.
The cleaning liquid tank 63 is a tank for containing cleaning liquid, and is disposed outside the cup 41. The cleaning liquid supply pipe 60 guides the cleaning liquid so that the cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid tank 63 to the connection flow path 56.
One end portion of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 60 is fluidly connected to the cleaning liquid tank 63, and the other end portion of the cleaning liquid supply pipe 60 is fluidly connected to the connection flow path 56 with the connection member 57 as a medium.
The cleaning liquid supply pump 61 pressurizes the cleaning liquid so that the cleaning liquid is injected from the cleaning liquid tank 63 to the inside through the side wall 42 between the upper opening 45 and the lower opening 48 via the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 after passing through the cleaning liquid supply pipe 60, the connection flow path 56, and the annular flow path 52. The valve 62 selectively allows the cleaning fluid to flow or to rest.
After spraying the process fluid to process the substrate 1, the pair of fluid spraying nozzles 30 horizontally move back to the home position so as to be aligned with the upper opening 45 of the cup 41 and descend so as to enter the inner space 44 through the upper opening 45. Then, the cleaning liquid ejecting section 50 ejects the cleaning liquid simultaneously through the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 toward the plurality of fluid ejecting nozzles 30 located in the internal space 44.
The plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 spray cleaning liquid toward the lower ends of the pair of nozzle pipes 31 in the horizontal direction.
Specifically, the number of the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 is eight. Four of the eight cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 are arranged at a 90 ° interval with respect to the center of the cup 41. A pair of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 of four cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 spaced apart by 180 ° sprays cleaning liquid to the sides facing away from each other of the lower ends of the pair of nozzle pipes 31 to clean the sides facing away from each other.
The cleaning liquid sprayed from the other pair of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54, which are 180 ° apart, among the four cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 collides between the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 to be splashed, thereby cleaning the side surfaces of the lower ends of the pair of nozzle pipes 31 which face each other.
The remaining four of the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 spray cleaning liquid to the left and right sides of the lower ends of the pair of nozzle pipes 31 to clean the left and right sides of the lower ends of the pair of nozzle pipes 31. Therefore, the outer side surfaces of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 are completely washed by the washing liquid.
The cleaning liquid may be sprayed toward the inner space 44 of the cup 41 through the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 at a flow rate of 0.3 liters/minute to 3.0 liters/minute (liter/minute).
If the flow rate of the cleaning liquid is less than 0.3 liter/min, the ejection pressure of the cleaning liquid is too low, and the cleaning liquid cannot reach the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30, or cannot remove the contaminant adhering to the surfaces of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30.
In contrast, if the flow rate of the cleaning liquid is more than 3.0 liters/minute, the ejection pressure of the cleaning liquid is excessively large, which may cause damage to the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30, or the cleaning liquid that collides with the surfaces of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 may be splashed to the outside of the cup 41 through the upper side opening 45 of the cup 41.
In addition, preferably, the spraying time of the cleaning liquid may be 10 seconds to 2 minutes. If the spraying time of the cleaning liquid is shorter than 10 seconds, the pair of fluid spraying nozzles 30 may not be cleaned. In contrast, if the spraying time of the cleaning liquid exceeds 2 minutes, the total time required for the operation of spraying the processing fluid to the plurality of substrates 1 to process the plurality of substrates 1 may be excessively long. This is because the cleaning operation of the fluid ejection nozzles 30 is performed every time one substrate 1 is mounted on the stage 11 and processed.
After the end of the cleaning liquid ejection by the cleaning liquid ejection section 50, the drying gas ejection section 70 ejects the drying gas (gas) for drying the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30. The drying gas may be, for example, pure nitrogen (N) after dehumidification 2 )。
The dry gas injection part 70 may include an annular flow path part 71, a connection flow path part 75, a connection member 77, a dry gas supply pipe 80, a dry gas tank 83, a dry gas supply pump 81, and a valve 82.
The annular flow path portion 71 of the dry gas injection portion 70 is joined to the side wall 42 so as to surround the side wall 42 of the cup 41, like the annular flow path portion 51 of the cleaning liquid injection portion 50. An annular flow passage 72 through which the drying gas flows is formed in the annular flow passage portion 71. A plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 74 are arranged on the side wall 42, and the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 74 jet the dry gas flowing into the annular flow path 72 toward the pair of fluid jet nozzles 30 located in the inner space 44.
Each of the dry gas nozzle portions 74 may be configured to include a spray through hole penetrating the side wall 42, or may be configured to include a nozzle provided in the side wall 42 so as to spray the dry gas penetrating the side wall 42. In the dry gas nozzle portion 74, the size of the inner diameter of the end portion to which the dry gas is injected may be 1mm, for example.
The connection flow path portion 75 protrudes radially from one side of the annular flow path portion 71, and a connection flow path (not shown) connected to the annular flow path 72 so that a fluid can flow is formed inside the connection flow path portion 75. The dry gas tank 83 is a tank for containing dry gas, and is disposed outside the cup 41. The dry gas supply pipe 80 guides the dry gas so that the dry gas is supplied from the dry gas tank 83 to the connection flow path of the connection flow path portion 75.
One end of the dry gas supply pipe 80 is fluidly connected to the dry gas tank 83, and the other end of the dry gas supply pipe 80 is fluidly connected to the connection channel of the connection channel portion 75 with the connection member 77 as a medium.
The dry gas supply pump 81 pressurizes the dry gas so that the dry gas is injected from the dry gas tank 83 to the inside through the dry gas supply pipe 80, the connection flow path connecting the flow path portions 75, and the annular flow path 72, and then from the side wall 42 between the upper opening 45 and the lower opening 48 through the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 74. Valve 82 selectively allows the drying gas to flow or to rest.
After the end of the cleaning liquid ejection of the cleaning liquid ejecting section 50, the drying gas is ejected to the pair of fluid ejecting nozzles 30 at the same time. The dry gas injection unit 70 injects dry gas into the cup 41 at a point higher than the point at which the cleaning liquid is injected in the side wall 42 of the cup 41. More specifically, the annular flow path portion 71 of the dry gas injection portion 70 is located higher than the annular flow path portion 51 of the cleaning liquid injection portion 50, and the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 74 are arranged higher than the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54.
The height of the spot to which the dry gas sprayed by the dry gas spraying portion 70 through the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 74 is higher than the height of the spot to which the cleaning liquid sprayed by the cleaning liquid spraying portion 50 through the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54 is directed. More specifically, the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 74 spray dry gas in a downward inclined direction toward a point higher than the lower ends of the pair of nozzle pipes 31 and lower than the surfaces of the fluid spray nozzles 30 at the upper ends of the pair of nozzle covers 35.
Specifically, the number of the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 74 is eight. As in the case of the eight cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54, four of the eight dry gas nozzle portions 74 are arranged at a 90 ° interval with respect to the center of the cup 41.
A pair of drying gas nozzle portions 74 spaced apart by 180 ° from each other in the four drying gas nozzle portions 74, and the drying gas is injected toward the sides of the pair of fluid injection nozzles 30 facing away from each other to remove the cleaning liquid remaining on the sides facing away from each other and dry the sides.
The drying gas sprayed from the other pair of the drying gas nozzle portions 74, which are 180 ° apart, among the four drying gas nozzle portions 74 collides between the pair of the fluid spray nozzles 30 and spreads to the surroundings, thereby removing the cleaning liquid remaining on the sides of the pair of the fluid spray nozzles 30 facing each other and drying the sides.
The remaining four of the plurality of drying gas nozzle portions 74 spray drying gas to the left and right sides of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 to remove the cleaning liquid remaining on the left and right sides of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 and dry the sides. At the plurality of drying gas nozzle portions 74, the drying gas is injected in a downward inclined direction, and thus the farther from the plurality of drying gas nozzle portions 74, the larger the cross-sectional area of the injected drying gas is, in this way, reaches the outer side surfaces of the pair of fluid injection nozzles 30, thereby performing a wide-range drying up and down of the outer side surfaces of the pair of fluid injection nozzles 30. Finally, the outer side surfaces of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 are completely dried by the drying gas.
The injection angle of the drying gas injected from each drying gas nozzle portion 74 is defined by an angle between a horizontal plane and a virtual inclined line extending along the injection direction of the drying gas. The drying gas injection angle A1 injected toward the side surfaces of the pair of fluid injection nozzles 30 facing away from each other is larger than the drying gas injection angle A2 injected toward the left and right side surfaces of the pair of fluid injection nozzles 30. For example, the injection angle A1 may be 45 ° to 55 °, and the injection angle A2 may be 30 ° to 40 °.
Preferably, the drying gas may be injected into the inner space 44 of the cup 41 through a plurality of drying gas nozzle portions 74 at a flow rate of 30 to 100 liters/minute (liter/minute).
If the flow rate of the drying gas is less than 30 liters/minute, the ejection pressure of the drying gas is too low, and the drying gas cannot reach the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30 or cannot dry the surfaces of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30.
In contrast, if the flow rate of the drying gas is more than 100 liters/minute, the injection pressure of the drying gas is excessively large, which may cause damage to the pair of fluid injection nozzles 30, or the drying gas colliding with the surfaces of the pair of fluid injection nozzles 30 may be diffused to the outside of the cup 41 through the upper side opening 45 of the cup 41.
In addition, it is preferable that the injection time of the drying gas may be 30 seconds to 5 minutes. If the spraying time of the drying gas is shorter than 30 seconds, the surfaces of the pair of fluid spraying nozzles 30 may not be cleaned. In contrast, if the injection time of the dry gas exceeds 5 minutes, the total time required for the operation of injecting the processing fluid to the plurality of substrates 1 to process the plurality of substrates 1 may be excessively long.
The exhaust part 85 sucks in gas from the inner space 44 of the cup 41 and discharges the gas to the outside of the cup 41 so that the gas is not discharged to the outside of the cup 41 through the upper side opening 45, the gas being accumulated in the inner space 44 of the cup 41 during the operation of the cleaning liquid injection part 50 and the dry gas injection part 70.
The gas includes water vapor formed by evaporating the cleaning liquid and dry gas. The exhaust unit 85 may start to operate when the cleaning liquid ejecting unit 50 starts to eject the cleaning liquid or several seconds before it, and may end to operate when the drying gas ejecting unit 70 ends the drying gas ejecting operation or several seconds after it.
The exhaust section 85 includes an annular flow path section 86, a connection flow path section 90, a connector 92, an exhaust pipe 94, a purification filter 96, and an exhaust pump 95.
The annular flow path portion 86 of the exhaust portion 85 is joined to the side wall 42 so as to surround the side wall 42 of the cup 41, like the annular flow path portions 51, 71 of the cleaning liquid ejecting portion 50 and the drying gas ejecting portion 70. Inside the annular flow path portion 86, an annular flow path 87 through which the sucked gas flows is formed. The annular flow path portion 86 of the exhaust portion 85 is disposed above the annular flow path portion 71 of the dry gas injection portion 70.
The annular flow path portion 86 is formed with an inlet 88 for allowing gas to be sucked from the inside of the cup 41 and moved to the annular flow path 87. In addition, the annular flow path portion 86 is formed with an open nozzle access hole 89 so as to close the upper side opening 45 of the cup 41 without blocking the access of the pair of fluid ejection nozzles 30.
The connection channel portion 90 protrudes radially from one side of the annular channel portion 86, and a connection channel (not shown) is formed therein, which is connected to the annular channel 87 so as to be capable of flowing a fluid. The exhaust pump 95 is disposed outside the cup 41, and is configured to create a negative pressure in the annular flow path 87 so as to suck gas through the suction port 88.
One end of the exhaust pipe 94 is fluidly connected to the exhaust pump 95, and the other end of the exhaust pipe 94 is fluidly connected to the connection channel of the connection channel portion 90 via the connection element 92. The purification filter 96 filters out contaminants in the gas flowing through the inlet port 88 and moving toward the exhaust pump 95 through the exhaust pipe 94. The gas from which the pollutants are filtered by the purification filter 96 is discharged to the outside by the exhaust pump 95.
The method of cleaning the fluid ejection nozzles 30 using the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device 40 includes a nozzle positioning (nozzle positioning) step, a cleaning liquid ejection step, and a drying step. The nozzle positioning step is a step of allowing the fluid ejection nozzle 30 to enter the inner space 44 of the cup 41 through the upper side opening 45 so that the fluid ejection nozzle 30 is located in the inner space 44 of the cup 41. Before the nozzle positioning step, a process fluid ejection step of ejecting a process fluid through the fluid ejection nozzle 30 toward the substrate 1 to process the substrate 1 is performed. The nozzle positioning step includes a step of returning the fluid ejection nozzle 30 to a home position, which is a position vertically aligned with the upper opening 45, after the treatment fluid ejection step is completed.
The cleaning liquid ejecting step is a step of ejecting cleaning liquid to clean the fluid ejecting nozzle 30. The cleaning liquid ejecting step is performed by the cleaning liquid ejecting section 50, and the cleaning liquid ejecting section 50 has been described in detail while referring to fig. 1 to 4, and thus the repetition is not repeated.
The drying step is a step of spraying a drying gas to dry the surface of the fluid-spraying nozzle 30 after the cleaning-liquid spraying step is completed. The drying step is performed by the drying gas injection part 70, and the drying gas injection part 70 has been described in detail while referring to fig. 1 to 4, so that the repetition is not repeated.
The method of cleaning the fluid ejection nozzles 30 may further include: and a discharging step of sucking gas, which is accumulated in the inner space 44 of the cup 41 during the cleaning liquid injecting step and the drying step, from the inner space 44 of the cup 41 and discharging the gas to the outside of the cup 41 so that the gas is not discharged to the outside of the cup 41 through the upper side opening 45. The exhausting step is performed by the exhausting portion 85, and the exhausting portion 85 has been described in detail while referring to fig. 1 to 4, so that the repetition is not repeated.
Between the start time point of the nozzle positioning step and the end time point of the drying step, a substrate replacement step of replacing the substrate 1, which has been processed by ejecting the processing fluid, with a new substrate 1, which has not been ejected with the processing fluid, is performed. More specifically, after the fluid ejection nozzles 30 return to the home position, the substrate 1 on which the substrate processing is completed is unloaded (unloading) from the table 11, and a new substrate 1 on which the substrate processing is not performed is loaded (unloading) into the table 11. At this time, the method of cleaning the fluid ejection nozzle 30 may not start the cleaning liquid ejection step until it is sensed that the substrate 1 processed by the substrate is removed from the stage 11.
Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The fluid jet nozzle cleaning apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 5 may be disposed in the substrate processing apparatus 10 of fig. 1 instead of the fluid jet nozzle cleaning apparatus 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Among the constituent elements designated by reference numerals in fig. 5, the constituent elements designated by the same reference numerals as those of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device 40 shown in fig. 1 to 4 are the same constituent elements, and the repetition of the description is omitted hereinafter.
Referring to fig. 5, a fluid jet nozzle cleaning device 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is a device for cleaning a fluid jet nozzle 30, and includes a cup 41, a cleaning liquid jet portion 50, a first dry gas jet portion 110, a second dry gas jet portion 130, and an exhaust portion 85. The difference is only that the number of the fluid ejection nozzles 30 fixedly supported at the other end of the connection pipe 25 is single instead of a pair, and the repetition is not repeated since the fluid ejection nozzles 30 are the same as those shown in fig. 1 to 4. The cup 41 and the exhaust portion 85 are the same as the cup 41 and the exhaust portion 85 provided in the fluid jet nozzle cleaning device 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and thus the repetition is not repeated.
The configuration of the cleaning liquid ejecting section 50 shown in fig. 5 may be the same as that of the cleaning liquid ejecting section 50 provided in the fluid ejecting nozzle cleaning device 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention except that one fluid ejecting nozzle 30 is provided so that the number of cleaning liquid nozzle sections 54 is different from the number of cleaning liquid nozzle sections 54 shown in fig. 1 to 4, and thus the repetition is not repeated.
The first drying gas injection part 110 and the second drying gas injection part 130 inject the drying gas for the drying fluid injection nozzle 30 after the injection of the cleaning liquid by the cleaning liquid injection part 50 is completed. The first and second dry gas injection parts 110 and 130 are provided with annular flow path parts 111 and 131, respectively, a connection flow path part (not shown), a dry gas supply pipe (not shown), a dry gas tank (not shown), a dry gas supply pump (not shown), and a valve (not shown).
The annular flow path portions 111, 131 of the dry gas injection portions 110, 130 are joined to the side wall 42 so as to surround the side wall 42 of the cup 41, like the annular flow path portion 51 of the cleaning liquid injection portion 50. Inside the annular flow path portions 111 and 131, annular flow paths 112 and 132 through which the drying gas flows are formed. A plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 114, 134 are arranged on the side wall 42, and the dry gas nozzle portions 114, 134 spray the dry gas flowing into the annular flow paths 112, 132 toward the fluid spray nozzles 30 located in the inner space 44. Each of the dry gas nozzle portions 114 and 134 may be configured to include a spray passage penetrating the side wall 42, or may be configured to include a nozzle provided in the side wall 42 so as to spray the dry gas penetrating the side wall 42.
Inside the connection flow path portion of the first dry gas injection unit 110 and the connection flow path portion of the second dry gas injection unit 130, connection flow paths are formed, which are respectively connected to the annular flow paths 112 and 132 so that a fluid can flow. The dry gas box is a box for containing dry gas and is disposed outside the cup 41. The dry gas supply pipe guides the dry gas so that the dry gas is supplied from the dry gas tank to the connection flow path of the connection flow path portion.
One end of the dry gas supply pipe is fluidly connected to the dry gas tank, and the other end of the dry gas supply pipe is fluidly connected to the connection channel of the connection channel portion. The dry gas supply pump pressurizes the dry gas so that the dry gas is injected from the dry gas tank to the inside through the dry gas supply pipe, the connection flow path and the annular flow paths 112 and 132 of the connection flow path portion, and then through the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 114 and 134 from the side wall 42 between the upper opening 45 and the lower opening 48. A valve selectively allows the drying gas to flow or to rest.
After the cleaning liquid injection by the cleaning liquid injection unit 50 is completed, the first drying gas injection unit 110 and the second drying gas injection unit 130 simultaneously inject the drying gas to the fluid injection nozzle 30 through the plurality of drying gas nozzle portions 114 and 134. Since the first and second dry gas injection units 110 and 130 start and end simultaneously, the first and second dry gas injection units 110 and 130 may be provided with a dry gas tank (not shown), a dry gas supply pump (not shown), and a valve (not shown), respectively, or may be provided with only one dry gas injection unit and only one dry gas injection unit, respectively, in a common manner. In this case, the dry gas supply pipe may include one inflow channel, which may be connected to the dry gas tank, and a pair of release channels, which are branched from the one inflow channel, and one release channel may be connected to each of the connection channels of the first dry gas injection unit 110 and the second dry gas injection unit 130.
The first dry gas injection unit 110 injects dry gas into the cup 41 at a higher point than the point where the cleaning liquid is injected in the side wall 42 of the cup 41. The second dry gas injection unit 130 injects the dry gas into the cup 41 at a higher point than the point where the first dry gas injection unit 110 injects the dry gas. More specifically, the annular flow path portion 111 of the first dry gas injection portion 110 is located higher than the annular flow path portion 51 of the cleaning liquid injection portion 50, and the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 114 of the first dry gas injection portion 110 are arranged at a higher position than the plurality of cleaning liquid nozzle portions 54. The annular flow path portion 131 of the second dry gas injection portion 130 is located higher than the annular flow path portion 111 of the first dry gas injection portion 110, and the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 134 of the second dry gas injection portion 130 are arranged at a higher position than the plurality of dry gas nozzle portions 114 of the first dry gas injection portion 110.
The height of the spot of the pair of dry gas jetting portions 110, 130, which is directed by the dry gas jetted through the plurality of dry gas jetting portions 134 by the second dry gas jetting portion 130 located at a relatively high position, is higher than the height of the spot of the pair of dry gas jetting portions 110, which is directed by the dry gas jetted through the plurality of dry gas jetting portions 114 by the first dry gas jetting portion 110 located at a relatively low position. More specifically, the plurality of drying gas nozzle parts 114 of the first drying gas injection part 110 inject the drying gas in a downward inclined direction toward the lower end of the nozzle cover 35, and the plurality of drying gas nozzle parts 134 of the second drying gas injection part 130 inject the drying gas in a downward inclined direction toward an intermediate point higher than the lower end of the nozzle cover 35. With this configuration, the outer side surface of the fluid ejection nozzle 30 is completely dried by the drying gas, and particularly, the upper end portion of the nozzle cover 35 and the end portion of the connection pipe 25 coupled thereto are also completely dried.
The injection angle of the drying gas injected from the drying gas nozzle portions 114, 134 is defined by an angle between a horizontal plane and a virtual inclined line extending in the injection direction of the drying gas. For example, the injection angle A3 of the drying gas injected through the drying gas nozzle part 114 of the first drying gas injection part 110 and the injection angle A4 of the drying gas injected through the drying gas nozzle part 134 of the second drying gas injection part 130 may be the same as each other, and may be 20 ° to 30 °.
Fig. 6 is a photograph of the fluid ejection nozzle before cleaning in a comparative photograph for verifying the effect of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of the present invention, and fig. 7 is a photograph of the fluid ejection nozzle after cleaning in a comparative photograph for verifying the effect of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of the present invention.
Referring to fig. 5 and 6, a fluid ejection nozzle 30 is prepared, which is smeared with, for example, crayon or the like on the surface of a nozzle cover 35 to be contaminated with a contaminant DR. The fluid ejection nozzle 30 contaminated with the contaminant is moved to a position aligned up and down with the cup 41 of the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
The fluid ejection nozzle 30 enters the inner space 44 of the cup 41 through the upper opening 45, the cleaning liquid is ejected by the cleaning liquid ejection portion 50, the drying gas is ejected by the first drying gas ejection portion 110 and the second drying gas ejection portion 130, and then the cleaning of the fluid ejection nozzle 30 is ended. After the cleaning, the fluid ejection nozzle 30 is lifted up so that the fluid ejection nozzle 30 coming out of the inner space 44 of the cup 41 becomes very clean as shown in fig. 7, and no contaminant DR remains on the surface of the nozzle cover 35, and no trace of the cleaning liquid remains. In the experimental example of the photograph shown, the cleaning liquid was deionized water, the drying gas was dehumidified nitrogen, and the jet flow rate and jet time of the cleaning liquid were 1 liter/minute (liter/minute) and 1 minute, and 50 liter/minute and 3 minutes.
The invention has been described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings but this is only an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments can be derived therefrom. Therefore, the true scope of the invention should be determined only by the claims.

Claims (15)

1. A fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device, comprising:
a cup having an upper opening opened to allow the fluid ejection nozzle to enter an inner space and a lower opening for discharging the cleaning liquid from the inner space to the outside;
a cleaning liquid ejecting section that ejects cleaning liquid to the fluid ejecting nozzle when the fluid ejecting nozzle is located in the internal space of the cup; and
and a drying gas spraying unit configured to spray a drying gas for drying the fluid spraying nozzle after the cleaning liquid is sprayed.
2. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 1, wherein,
the cleaning liquid spraying part sprays the cleaning liquid to the inner side from the side wall between the upper side opening and the lower side opening of the cup,
the dry gas injection unit injects the dry gas inward from a point higher than a point at which the cleaning liquid is injected, on the side wall of the cup.
3. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 2,
the cleaning liquid ejecting section includes:
an annular flow path portion coupled to the cup so as to surround the cup;
a connection flow path portion protruding radially from the annular flow path portion and connected to the annular flow path portion so that a fluid can flow;
a cleaning liquid supply pipe, one side of which is fluidly connected to the cleaning liquid tank, and the other side of which is fluidly connected to the connection flow path portion; and
and a cleaning liquid supply pump for pressurizing the cleaning liquid so as to spray the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid tank to the inside of the cup.
4. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 2,
the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device is provided with a plurality of the dry gas ejection sections,
the height of the place where the drying gas is injected by the drying gas injection part located at a relatively high place among the plurality of drying gas injection parts is higher than the height of the place where the drying gas is injected by the drying gas injection part located at a relatively low place.
5. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 4,
the dry gas injection part includes:
an annular flow path portion that is coupled to the cup so as to surround the cup, and that has an annular flow path in which the drying gas can flow;
a connection flow path portion protruding radially from the annular flow path portion and connected to the annular flow path so that a fluid can flow;
a dry gas supply pipe, one side of which is fluidly connected to the dry gas tank, and the other side of which is fluidly connected to the connection flow path portion; and
and a dry gas supply pump for pressurizing the dry gas so that the dry gas is injected from the dry gas tank to the inside of the cup.
6. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 1, wherein,
the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device is provided with a plurality of the fluid ejection nozzles,
a plurality of the fluid ejection nozzles are disposed adjacent to each other and move together in the horizontal and vertical directions,
the cleaning liquid ejecting section ejects the cleaning liquid simultaneously to a plurality of fluid ejecting nozzles located in the inner space of the cup,
After the cleaning liquid is injected, the drying gas injection unit simultaneously injects the drying gas into the plurality of fluid injection nozzles.
7. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 1, wherein,
the cleaning liquid spraying part sprays the cleaning liquid to the inner space of the cup at a flow rate of 0.3 to 3.0 liters/min,
the spraying time of the cleaning liquid is 10 seconds to 2 minutes.
8. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 1, wherein,
the drying gas injection part injects the drying gas into the inner space of the cup at a flow rate of 30 to 100 liters/min,
the spraying time of the drying gas is 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
9. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 1, wherein,
the cleaning liquid is deionized water,
the drying gas is nitrogen.
10. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 1, wherein,
the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device further includes: and an exhaust part sucking gas from the inner space of the cup and exhausting to the outside of the cup so that the gas is not exhausted through the upper side opening, the gas being accumulated in the inner space of the cup during operation of the cleaning liquid injection part and the drying gas injection part.
11. The fluid ejection nozzle cleaning device of claim 10, wherein,
the exhaust section includes:
an annular flow path portion coupled to the cup so as to surround the cup;
a connection flow path portion protruding radially from the annular flow path portion and connected to the annular flow path portion so that a fluid can flow; and
and an exhaust pipe, one side of which is fluidly connected to the exhaust pump, and the other side of which is fluidly connected to the connection flow path portion.
12. A fluid ejection nozzle cleaning method for cleaning a fluid ejection nozzle, comprising:
a nozzle positioning step of allowing the fluid ejection nozzle to enter an inner space of a cup through an upper side opening of the cup so that the fluid ejection nozzle is located in the inner space of the cup;
a cleaning liquid jetting step of jetting a cleaning liquid to clean the fluid jetting nozzle; and
and a drying step of spraying a drying gas to dry the surface of the fluid spraying nozzle after the cleaning liquid spraying step is completed.
13. The method of cleaning a fluid ejection nozzle of claim 12,
The cup is located at a position where the fluid ejection nozzle ejects fluid toward a substrate to process the substrate, and returns after the completion of the operation,
between the start time point of the nozzle positioning step and the end time point of the drying step, the substrate to be processed, on which the fluid is injected, is replaced with a substrate on which the fluid is not injected.
14. The method of cleaning a fluid ejection nozzle of claim 12,
the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning method further includes, prior to the nozzle positioning step: and a process fluid ejection step of ejecting a process fluid toward the substrate through the fluid ejection nozzle to process the substrate.
15. The method of cleaning a fluid ejection nozzle of claim 12,
the fluid ejection nozzle cleaning method further includes: and a discharging step of sucking gas from the inner space of the cup and discharging the gas to the outside of the cup so that the gas is not discharged to the outside of the cup through the upper side opening, the gas being gas accumulated in the inner space of the cup during the cleaning liquid ejecting step and the drying step.
CN202211655588.5A 2021-12-27 2022-12-22 Fluid jet nozzle cleaning device and fluid jet nozzle cleaning method Pending CN116364581A (en)

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KR20050097380A (en) 2004-04-02 2005-10-07 삼성전자주식회사 Apparatus for cleansing a nozzle
KR20070036865A (en) * 2005-09-30 2007-04-04 세메스 주식회사 A cleaning device of a nozzle
KR20120015662A (en) * 2010-08-12 2012-02-22 세메스 주식회사 Apparatus for processing substrate
US9378988B2 (en) * 2011-07-20 2016-06-28 SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method using processing solution
JP5965729B2 (en) * 2012-05-31 2016-08-10 東京エレクトロン株式会社 Nozzle cleaning apparatus, nozzle cleaning method, and substrate processing apparatus
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